St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-09
ceive the treatment that he deserves at the
hands of people whose honor he implc-
| tly trusted. TEE AITCH
PLACER sAM,S FORTUNE.
Ten X egs of GOLD Dust Dug I'm Six
Months and sunk ia Poker.

Ten X egs of GOsd Dust Dug In Six
Months and sunk ia Poker.
Special Correspondence of the Globe.
BISMARCK, March TT met few DAYS
ago queer looking body, loosely hung to-
gether, who told me many stories of the
wonderful fortunes that had been made
among the placer miners of Central and
Western Montana. He sat oil top of an
empty beer keg in the barroom of the Sher-
ldan house and carelessly pecked away at
the oaken slaves with an ugly-looking
knife, while he despatched the floor with
miniature floods of deep brown tobacco
Juice His legs were remarkably long and
thin and his arms, which branehed out from
broad, thick chest. were well matched
to his lower eXtremities. His garb was of
rough material. we'll worn, and large
head of tangled hair as black as night was
covered with broad brimmed Lat of drab
felt, turned up on one side and well Spat-
tered with grease. Placer Sam was the
name ne gave me, and when he spoke it
was with a nasal twang that gave evidence
of at least early training among the noun
tains of Vermont. AS he talked interest
ingly of how fortunes were made and lost
in a few days fifteen years ago in the mines
of Montana, | occasionally encouraged him
with an invitation to test the quality of
Bismarck whisky. which he did with an in
terest that caused the eyes OF the bartender to
bulge out and prompted him to charge 10
cents more a test than he was wont to do.
Among the incidents that Sam reeed off in
his peculiar style, he told ME of green lad
unused to the ways of the West who one
day wandered into Confederate guIch, and
among the miners there applied for work.
bn tod re-
hire help aud he was told to prospect. He
didn't understand what the word meant
and insisted that some one should put him
to work and give him ali opportunity to
earn his daily bread. firing OF his per-
SlStencY, one day when the lad
made his usual application for
work with salary attachment,
miner picked up stone from the ground
and throwing it out upon ali unbroken spot
in the gulch, told him to get a pick and
shovel and dig. The lad did as he was bid.
and as he quietly kept at his work day after
day and paid no particular attention to any
one, the miners pleased at last to have
gotten rid of him, studiously left him to
himself. For six mouths he kept up his
digging, and at the end of that time sur
prised the camp by buying mule team and
hiring company Of twenty-five armed men
W Sudiu liic Hill kcSS uli6u 10 .tu6 Dlliu
with glittering gold dust that he had
taken from the ground on which
the stone tossed by careless hand
had fallen. The kegs were loaded behind
the mules and under the eyes of the twen-
ty-five men were carted through the noun
tains and across the plains TO Omaha,
where it was disposed of and the handsome
proceeds pocketed by the lucky lad. l
asked the man what was the name OF the
fellow who had made the great strike and
with vicious jab at the slaves of the key
with his knife. he replied:
''It Wus me-"
l was considerably surprised, but not
satisfied, and, continuing the conversation.
asked him if he had the money invested,
and he said he had invested every cent.
asked him what in and he replied,
Poker"
l invited him to once more battle him
! self in whisky. which he did and we sep
arated. Inquiry regarding Placer Sam
leads ME to believe that what he told me
| was true and that the man who fifteen
years ago was millionaire is now a bar
room loafer with no spirit and penniless
| and this in consequence of his infatuaton
for the festive game that has dug so many
graves for the fortunes of men all over the
world. TEE AITCH.